clipboard toward Twig.
“Look who’s awake,” the man said with new warmth in his voice.
Twig smiled out of a habit of politeness and fell back to sleep.
15
Twig was dreaming of steam. Irazú, the volcano. She had finally made it. She hovered above the huge basin filled with swirling clouds of white vapor. This high up, with the mouth of the volcano gaping beneath her, Twig had never felt so powerful.
Then voices began lifting out of the steam, pulling at her. Doc. Avery. Adam. Twig felt herself being dragged into the volcano, the steam climbing out of the stone basin to envelop her. She tried to push it away, covering her face.
“Twig. It’s mom. It’s okay.”
Something was on her face. Twig tore at it.
“It’s okay to remove the mask,” said a man’s voice that Twig didn’t recognize. Avery removed the mask from Twig’s face as Twig squinted, trying to open her eyes fully.
“Mom, where are we?” Twig was scared and thirsty. Her head was swimming.
“Twig, you had an accident, but you are okay. We are at a place called a hospital. This man is a doctor. He is helping us.”
A man in a white coat stood at the foot of Twig’s bed. Twig gripped Avery. An outsider .
“But, Mom,” Twig started to say, but the man began to approach Twig, and she gasped. She began to hold her arm up to tell the man to stop, but she was attached to some sort of tube. She started to feel faint.
“Okay, let’s slow this down,” the man in the white coat said.
“Twig, do you know who I am?” Adam was suddenly at Twig’s side.
Twig squinted at Adam. “Of course,” she whispered. “Father, I don’t understand. Why are we…” The man in the white coat laid his hand on Adam’s shoulder.
“Why don’t we give her a little room, give her a moment with her mom.” Adam glared at the man’s hand. He quickly removed it.
“We can come back in a few minutes,” Doc added.
“But she might fall asleep again. I need to talk to her.”
“Adam!” Avery said, exasperated.
“Okay, okay.” With a tense smile, Adam stood up. “Twig, I’ll be right outside the door. I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?”
Twig nodded, completely confused. “Is this man okay?” she asked Adam. “Is he safe?”
“Yes,” Avery said. “Yes, he is helping us. He is a good man.”
“Well, I don’t know if he’s a good man, but he seems to be a good enough doctor,” Adam said, his voice as tense as his facial expression.
Doc steered Adam toward the door. “We’ll be right back,” Adam said, his eyes boring into the doctor.
“Intense guy,” the doctor said once Adam and Doc left the room.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Avery answered. Twig was shocked that Avery seemed comfortable with this man.
“Let’s start over. Twig, I’m Dr. Young. Are you in a lot of pain?”
Twig nodded, but the effort made her head throb. Her body was aching and sore. “Can I have something to drink?”
“Let’s start with some ice chips.”
Avery quickly began to spoon a chip of ice from a pea-green plastic pitcher near the bed. She held it to Twig’s mouth. Twig took it gratefully and sucked on it. She took a deep breath, feeling calmer.
“What’s happened to me? What kind of accident? Am I okay?” As Twig spoke, her anxiety began to grow again.
“Yes, you are absolutely okay—”
“She’s never been to a hospital before, Dr. Young. She doesn’t know what any of this is.”
“I understand,” Dr. Young said warmly.
He seemed…nice. Twig tried to match this man to the descriptions of the demonic people she knew lived in the outside world. Had Adam purified him before she woke up?
“What is this?” Twig held up her hand. There was a needle pricking out of it, which was connected to a small tube. It was then that she realized her other hand was in a cast. She began to cry a little bit, feeling completely overwhelmed. “What happened to me?” She sniffed.
“Like your mother said, you had an accident.
“Look who’s awake,” the man said with new warmth in his voice.
Twig smiled out of a habit of politeness and fell back to sleep.
15
Twig was dreaming of steam. Irazú, the volcano. She had finally made it. She hovered above the huge basin filled with swirling clouds of white vapor. This high up, with the mouth of the volcano gaping beneath her, Twig had never felt so powerful.
Then voices began lifting out of the steam, pulling at her. Doc. Avery. Adam. Twig felt herself being dragged into the volcano, the steam climbing out of the stone basin to envelop her. She tried to push it away, covering her face.
“Twig. It’s mom. It’s okay.”
Something was on her face. Twig tore at it.
“It’s okay to remove the mask,” said a man’s voice that Twig didn’t recognize. Avery removed the mask from Twig’s face as Twig squinted, trying to open her eyes fully.
“Mom, where are we?” Twig was scared and thirsty. Her head was swimming.
“Twig, you had an accident, but you are okay. We are at a place called a hospital. This man is a doctor. He is helping us.”
A man in a white coat stood at the foot of Twig’s bed. Twig gripped Avery. An outsider .
“But, Mom,” Twig started to say, but the man began to approach Twig, and she gasped. She began to hold her arm up to tell the man to stop, but she was attached to some sort of tube. She started to feel faint.
“Okay, let’s slow this down,” the man in the white coat said.
“Twig, do you know who I am?” Adam was suddenly at Twig’s side.
Twig squinted at Adam. “Of course,” she whispered. “Father, I don’t understand. Why are we…” The man in the white coat laid his hand on Adam’s shoulder.
“Why don’t we give her a little room, give her a moment with her mom.” Adam glared at the man’s hand. He quickly removed it.
“We can come back in a few minutes,” Doc added.
“But she might fall asleep again. I need to talk to her.”
“Adam!” Avery said, exasperated.
“Okay, okay.” With a tense smile, Adam stood up. “Twig, I’ll be right outside the door. I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?”
Twig nodded, completely confused. “Is this man okay?” she asked Adam. “Is he safe?”
“Yes,” Avery said. “Yes, he is helping us. He is a good man.”
“Well, I don’t know if he’s a good man, but he seems to be a good enough doctor,” Adam said, his voice as tense as his facial expression.
Doc steered Adam toward the door. “We’ll be right back,” Adam said, his eyes boring into the doctor.
“Intense guy,” the doctor said once Adam and Doc left the room.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Avery answered. Twig was shocked that Avery seemed comfortable with this man.
“Let’s start over. Twig, I’m Dr. Young. Are you in a lot of pain?”
Twig nodded, but the effort made her head throb. Her body was aching and sore. “Can I have something to drink?”
“Let’s start with some ice chips.”
Avery quickly began to spoon a chip of ice from a pea-green plastic pitcher near the bed. She held it to Twig’s mouth. Twig took it gratefully and sucked on it. She took a deep breath, feeling calmer.
“What’s happened to me? What kind of accident? Am I okay?” As Twig spoke, her anxiety began to grow again.
“Yes, you are absolutely okay—”
“She’s never been to a hospital before, Dr. Young. She doesn’t know what any of this is.”
“I understand,” Dr. Young said warmly.
He seemed…nice. Twig tried to match this man to the descriptions of the demonic people she knew lived in the outside world. Had Adam purified him before she woke up?
“What is this?” Twig held up her hand. There was a needle pricking out of it, which was connected to a small tube. It was then that she realized her other hand was in a cast. She began to cry a little bit, feeling completely overwhelmed. “What happened to me?” She sniffed.
“Like your mother said, you had an accident.
Similar Books
